Fastener for the m eeting-rails of sashes



(No Model.) W. MORTON.

FASTENER FOR THE MEETING RAILS OF SA$HES. No. 475,966. Patented May 31, 1892.

WITNESSES I INVENTOR QM). z r/gw 1'; Q MW ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. MORTON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

FASTENER FOR THE MEETING-RAILS OF SASHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,966, dated May 31, 1892.

Application'filed March 15, 1892. Serial 110.4%,026. (No model.)

.To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM M. MORTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sash-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a sash-fastener adapted to clamp the meetingrails together and to seat the sashes by direct lever movement from the rear sash-rails, the parts being adapted to firmly secure the sashes vertically and laterally and against being opened from without, while at the same time readily releasable by detachment of a spring-actuated catch or button.

The invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of the operating lever and catch mechanism, all as hereinafter more fully described, and particularly set forth in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side view of my improved sash-fastener mounted and in locked position. Fig. 2 is a front View. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section on the line m 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-section 011 the line 1 y, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the lever in the operation of drawing the sashes to place. Fig. 6 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a side view of the parts in unlocked position, and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the catch and its base-plate.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the operating lever or latch, which is provided with the lateral trunnions b, pivoted and adapted to slide vertically in the inverted-U- shaped guides C, cast integral with the rear base-plate D. The said guides are joined on both the front and rear side, as shown, by the connecting-webs e e and are separated to correspond to the width of the lever, the end of which is received between them with the trunnions in the loops of the guides, as shown. The lever is preferably curved upward at its outer end to provide a suitable tip f for being grasped in operation. Back of the tip is a rectangular aperture f for the engagement of the catch, as hereinafter described.

G denotes the catch, which is mounted upon a horizontally-sliding button it, guided in the base-plate K. The slot Z in the upper part of the base-plate forms a guiding-slot for the neck a; of the catch, and its rear end m is enlarged to admit the head of the catch orhook as it is inserted to place. Back of the catch, in alignment with the button 71., is a projection or teat 19, upon which a spiral spring p'is placed, within the base-plate K, to actuate the catch and hold the parts in place, whereby the catch is prevented from being moved to the rear endof the slot, and thus dropping through theenlarged portion m of the slot. The said spring may be placed upon the teat in a state of compression, after which it will remain securely in place. The rear base-plate D is fastened to the rear sash-rail, and the front base-plate is mounted upon the front rail by suitable screws 1" in the ordinary manner.

Thus constructed and arranged, the operation of the fastener is as follows: When the parts are unlocked, the lever A occupies a vertical position within the guides C with the end having the trunnions b resting upon the sash-rail at the bottom of the guides. The tip f of the lever being then grasped and pulled upward, the trunnions will be raised to their hearings in the upper part of the guides, and the lever may then be swung forward, as shown in Fig. 5. In thus swinging forward the lever will impinge upon the rear corner of the front base-plate, as shown in Fig. 5, and then act ing upon the said corner and reacting against the bearings of the trunnions b the'continued forward movement of the lever will depress the front sash and raise the rear sash with powerful leverage, thus seating them tightly to place, and as the lever is brought down to the horizontal position the catch G enters the aperture f, the front side of said aperture sliding along the beveled side of the catch as it descends, actuating the catch rearwardly until the lever slips oif the. said beveled edge, when the shoulder g hooks over the front lip or side of the aperture in the latch, actuated by the spring 19', thus drawing the sashes together and holding the lever down and securely locked. To unlock the sashes, it is only necessary to push the button It rearwardly, thereby releasing the lever, which will then be thrown upward, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, by the normal motion of the sashes in the act of being raised, and when so raised sufliciently to permit the sash to pass the lever will drop down in the guides, whereby it will be retained in the vertical position until the sashes require to be locked. In no case can it fall down or be turned over from the vertical position, except when the sashes are substantially in place, and thus the lever cannot become misplaced to injure and deface the sashes in their normal sliding movements. In this construction there are no rivets to become loose through the strains of the parts and the mechanism is not liable to excessive wear or derangement. All the parts are simple and easy to cast and assemble, and the adjustment of the parts upon the sash-rails is not difficult or particular, as the spring compensates for inaccurate fitting or workmanship and for shrinking and swelling of the sashes.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent In a sash-fastener, the combination of the rear base-plate provided with the guidingloops 0, having the inverted journal-bearing at their upper ends and joined by the front and rear connecting-bars below the bearings, the operating-lever fitted and adapted to slide vertically between the said bars and provided with the lateral trunnions received in said guiding-loops, the front base-plate, a bolt guided therein, a catch or hook carried on the bolt and adapted to engage a shoulder or lip on said lever, a spring fitted upon the said bolt and adapted to actuate the bolt and its catch forwardly to draw and clamp the meeting-rails together, and a button projecting ex.- ternally from the bolt for releasing the catch from engagement with the lever, substantially as specified.

WVILLIAM M. MORTON. Vitnesses:

ELINA LINBLA, MARY HUDSON. 

